


ivory gold

by screechfox



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Altered States, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cybernetics, Diverges from roughly the end of Ep. 4, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-26
Updated: 2016-11-04
Packaged: 2018-08-27 03:24:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8385337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screechfox/pseuds/screechfox
Summary: The thing about your brain being mostly cybernetics is that it can’t tell where one consciousness ends and another begins.
This proves problematic.





	1. chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i've only written the first three chapters of this so far, but i'm hoping that posting them will give me a kick up the ass. it probably won't.
> 
> so be warned! there may be long spaces between updates after the first two or three.
> 
> written to the portal 2 soundtrack, mostly.

There are stars bursting behind his eyes and Rhys can see  _ everything _ . 

Another glittering spot blazes through his vision, and he can see Yvette and her guards advancing on Sasha, Fiona, and Gortys.

“Oh no you don’t,” he finds himself saying, mouth moving without him telling it to. There’s something wrong about his voice, the way it sounds like it’s not only his own, and the way it echoes in the ship around him and makes everyone on this  _ goddamn _ space station startle.

He doesn’t even need to touch anything, only needs the barest flicker of a thought, and a turret emerges from the ceiling and aims, as precisely as a security turret can, at the guards.

Not Yvette herself. He’s got bigger plans for her. At least, it feels like he does, floating somewhere in the back of his busy, busy head.

 

“Goddamnit!” Fiona cries, as suddenly there’s gunfire and blue light and she’s pulling Sasha backwards - honestly far more worried about how Rhys’ voice had sounded so different, layered with something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

If she could just think through the rattle of bullets, she might be able to work it out, but it’s unrelenting in its tap-tap-tap of recoil.

Until suddenly, it isn’t, and it dies away as quickly as it had started.

The guards are spread out on the floor, dead from more bullets than seem strictly necessary. Yvette herself is curled at the edge of one of the cells, nursing a bullet hole in the arm. It’s the first time Fiona’s seen or heard the other woman being anything but professional, and it’s honestly a little comforting.

At least Sasha and Gortys seem no worse for wear.

Fiona starts as one of the cells flickers open, and then Rhys is talking again.

“Yeah, could you, ah, put Yvette in there for me, Fiona? Just got to keep her in one place, is all.” 

Exchanging a look with Sasha, Fiona tries to work out what to do in this suddenly unreadable situation. But, seeing no reason not to, Fiona sighs, and pulls Yvette up. She doesn’t seem to resist, going willingly, so Fiona doesn’t give her more than a gentle push into the empty room.

The blue wall flickers up between them.

 

“Rhys, what’s going on?” Fiona asks through their communicators. Rhys could almost laugh - no, he  _ is _ laughing, an unrestrained sound bursting from his throat and echoing through the halls of Helios. 

(He can feel people flinch at the sound of it,  _ just like old times _ , accounting and logistics and R&D and  _ ooh _ , it’s good to be back.)

“It’s fine, it’s fine, cupcake.” The pet name slips off his tongue like honey, and he’d blink at himself if he weren’t so busy taking in the pure information pulsing through his veins. “Everything’s under control, we’re just, uh, taking a little detour, that’s all.”

His mouth starts running on without him as he tries to  _ focus _ through the clarity of sensations that are not stopping. He’s breathing electricity - a sharp and crackling feeling that sticks in his throat and makes him choke. Rhys throws himself forward, coughing through the sensation, and--

“What the hell was that?” Rhys cries, shaking more than he’d like to admit, and blinking his vision back to normality. The override port, like a scorpion’s tail, hangs in the air, ready to strike again at a moment’s notice.

There are command prompts opening in his vision, and he manually cancels all of them as he scrambles away from the golden throne.

Jack isn’t anywhere to be seen.

 

Her communicator cuts out with a sharp burst of static, Rhys’ voice (except not Rhys’ voice at all, not really, because Rhys didn’t sound like, like  _ that _ ) stopping in the middle of a slowly building tirade about… something. She really couldn’t keep track of what he was saying.

“Damnit, Rhys!” She says. Sasha looks at her, eyes more guarded and wary than Fiona has ever seen - she hadn't been linked, but you'd need to be deaf not to hear the echoes from above. “He’s gone,” is all Fiona says, and Sasha nods at her knowingly. Beside them, Gortys is quiet, seeming to appreciate the gravity of this moment, if not any other.

“Hey,” Yvette says quietly. “I know you’ve got no reason to trust me, but--” She cuts herself off as they both turn to her, apparently doubtful.

“ _ Yes _ ?” Fiona asks, narrowing her eyes at Yvette.

Yvette is silent for a few moments. Then she looks up at them, expression almost sad. 

“That wasn’t Rhys,” she says, shaking her head. “Rhys has never sounded so… so manic, in all the time I’ve known him.” Yep, that’s definitely sadness in her tone, and Fiona does her best to look sympathetic. “And that other voice? I guess you might not recognise it properly, but… That was Handsome Jack.”

Well. Goddamnit.

Fiona’s half-assed attempt at a sympathetic expression disappears in a flash.

Yvette pauses, clearly expecting one of them to try and take over the reins of the conversation. Fiona exchanges a look with Sasha. Neither of them know quite what to say.

Sighing, Yvette continues. “You two should get out of here. He’s probably got a lot of bad blood for me now, not that I can blame him. It’s the least I can do to make sure you don’t get caught up in whatever Rh--  _ he’s _ got planned.”

They exchange another look, but after a glance at the keypad, they’ve really got no choice. It’s infused with the same blue light that had come from the turret, alien even for Hyperion. 

As they turn to leave, Fiona takes a breath. “For what it’s worth,” she offers, “If that  _ is _ Handsome Jack… Don’t get too hurt.”

Behind her, Yvette laughs, a short and bitter bark of a thing. “Yeah. I’ll do my best.”


	2. chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm going for a wednesday - saturday/sunday update schedule, which means i have roughly a week to finish the next chapter.

Any other time Jack’s not been around, he’s had to give himself a concussion to get him back. Which really, _really_ , doesn’t sound like something Rhys wants to do himself.

He’s found himself pacing, keeping a wide berth around the poised port hovering motionlessly by the chair.

Jack isn’t here. The quiet is almost claustrophobic.  

There's no one to give him answers except himself.

“Damnit, why's there no other computers in here?“ His own muttering breaks the silence, echoing uncomfortably within the office.

He's got suspicions about why on Earth that happened, but he needs an uplink to check. And - Rhys swallows nervously - not the one that left all of _that_ pulsing, beating spinning in his skull.

Except… It’s the only uplink in this place.

His communicator only gives him static when he tries to call Fiona, and he’s guessing that they wouldn’t be too happy with him anyway. The trap-door is still open, and he almost considers climbing down it.

But there’s no voices coming from down there, and he doubts that Fiona and Sasha have any more answers than he does.

Carefully, he puts the beacon down on the desk, and stares at the port. He doesn’t fancy getting himself arrested and dissected - this room feels like his only option.

Maybe… he should risk it.

He pads over to the chair, slowly, making no sudden movements. It’s ridiculous, especially since he’s planning to use it anyway, but he feels a little like prey as he glances at the metal spike.

Lowering himself down into the seat, he barely has enough time to get comfortable before he feels the port jamming itself into his skull and setting his mind alight.

 

And suddenly he is blind and he can see everything.

He _is_ Helios, he realises, and so is Jack - Rhys’ thoughts layered with blue sparks that seem to slot into place so perfectly.

He knows he has something he's meant to be looking for, but all of that fades against the enormity of everything that his brain is being faced with.

“Sorry about the interruption, boys and girls. Where was I?“ his mouth says, and he laughs. The sound sparkles, completely right and in sync with- with himself.

“It's been a while, kiddos.”

For an instant, his voice splits into two, words tasting like copper on a forked tongue.

“What, it’s been almost two years now?” ( _A month_ , his mouth says as well, and Rhys knows that both of them are right and both of them are so, so wrong.) “Since I left you all for that _shithole_ of a planet. How are y’all doing?”

Through the light flooding his eyes and the ever-persisting streams of data, Rhys can see people exchanging nervous looks with each other. Well, that won’t do. He’s the new (old) ( _new_ ) president, and he can’t have scared workers.

(Can’t have insubordination either, now he thinks of it, but he can deal with _that_ when they’re not all shitting their pants at the thought of him.)

“C’mon, don’t be like that!” He turns his head and he can see every accountant who’d filled the lunch hall barely an hour ago. He knows their names and their faces and their families and-- “Hey, I know it’s been a while, but here’s a show of good will for you guys.”

He reaches out and plucks at one of the strings of information, and the sound it makes rings out, high pitched - the sound of every Hyperion employee with Echonet access nearby being informed of their new pay rise.

(Not a _significant_ pay rise, but, hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?)

The data pulses brightly in his head, a sort of soundless keening that makes his consciousness stumble and crackle for an instant.

“Y’know what?” He says, as all of his employees look at their co-workers with something like confusion, or respect, or even fear. “I’m gonna leave you to mull over that little olive branch while I take five. Catch you later.”

The jack crackles and sparks at his head, and suddenly there’s pain as it’s ripped from his head.

And with a gasp (Rhys’), everything switches off.

 

Rhys blinks his eyes open, cheek pressed against the desk in a way that he knows is going to leave a smarting red mark.

“Oh, finally, sleeping beauty’s awake.” Oh, great, Jack’s back. Rhys would feel more relieved, but his head is killing, and he has no idea how long he’s been out. Groaning, he pushes himself up into a sitting position.

The port is gone, no longer hovering like a predator, and Rhys doesn’t know how to feel.

Jack follows his gaze, rubbing the back of his neck in an almost awkward way that makes Rhys narrow his eyes. The gesture cements at least the practical part of Rhys’ theory, if not the… whole why-and-how part.

“Yeah,” Jack says, oblivious to Rhys’ contemplation. “After how that went… I figured you’d want it away for now.”

“I… Thank you.” Rhys inclines his head to Jack.

He can’t help but wonder how much of that experience Jack remembers. Well, he also can’t help but wonder how much he _himself_ remembers, but that’s a different ball game entirely. Rhys doesn’t know what he can say to Jack, when he remembers so vividly the way they’d been mapped onto each other, a part of something far, far bigger than either of them could imagine.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Jack makes a show of perching on the table, leaning into Rhys. None of his usual mania is on his face - he seems… focused. Which is actually slightly scary, if Rhys is honest.

“Kiddo, approximately how much of your pretty little brain is cybernetics?”

_Oh_ . As Rhys should probably have expected, Jack has the theory too, _and_ he’s filled in one of the perplexing spots of how it’s happened.

His Echo-eye lights up in response to the query, but it’s no more helpful than his own memory, so he just has to shrug. “It’s definitely a majority, but I don’t have the exact figures.”

Jack blinks at him, then cocks a brow. “Seriously? I mean, no one ever told you, or anything?” His voice is doing that stilted thing that Rhys has picked up on, where Jack actually thinks his own company is kind of gross. But Rhys is a little too bitter to find humour or comfort in that.

“Yeah, well,” he murmurs instead, “those Hyperion doctors like all the cards to be in their hands only.”

Jack gestures, seemingly filled with all of the indignance that Rhys has never bothered to summon. “I mean, I know it’s in company policy for every employee to be a douche, but seriously? It’s your own brain!”

Rhys just cocks a brow at Jack. He made his peace with that fact before he’d even had the surgery done, but apparently Handsome Jack, of all people, has a surprising amount of feelings about bodily autonomy.

(Though considering the times he’s taken over at least _part_ of Rhys’ body, Rhys gets the feeling that his indignance is more to do with the inconvenience than anything.)

Jack reaches out as if to touch Rhys’ port. Rhys moves back, crossing his arms, and Jack frowns at him.

“Hey, kiddo, c’mon! I just thought we could, uh, do some hacking. The numbers have got to be in your noggin _somewhere_ , right?”

Rhys stares at him. _What_?

“Jack, I’m not about to try jail-breaking my own brain, that’s ridiculous!”

“C’mon, Rhysie!” Jack almost whines. “It’ll be fun! Just like old times! … Like, two weeks ago, whatever.”

“No, Jack. _No_.”


	3. chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay on this one. my head was not working even enough to perform the steps to post it. no promises on the update date of the next chapter, though i'd like to get it asap.

They’ve been walking for a few minutes when Sasha swears suddenly. Fiona grabs her hand before she can slam it into the wall and get them noticed.

“We forgot the beacon,” Sasha says without prompting. “We were so focused on the Jack thing that we didn’t even _think_.”

Fiona looks at Gortys, who shies away for a moment.

“I didn’t want to say!” She chirps, sounding genuinely worried. “That Handsome Jack guy sounded _real_ scary!” Fiona sighs, but she can’t get mad at Gortys. Especially not when, in her adorable perky way, she actually kind of has a point.

“We don’t even know if Rhys, or Jack, or whoever would give us the beacon.” It’s a pitiful offering, but Sasha sags, the anger flowing out of her quickly.

It’s quiet for a moment, none of them looking at each other.

“C’mon,” Sasha says, resigned. Slowly, they begin walking again - Fiona looking around warily. “Even if we don’t have the beacon… they heard Rhys, same as we did. I don’t think any of them want a fight with… Jack.”

The corridors are quiet. Their heeled shoes make their footsteps loud, but it doesn’t feel as authoritative as Fiona had expected it to. With the plan collapsing around them, she’s starting to wish she’d brought some proper boots.

Through the tinted windows of the corridor, she can just make out the Hub of Heroism. It wasn’t exactly warm and welcoming when they were passing through, but now? Now Fiona doesn’t think she can see a single smile in that place.

“Hey,” she says, motioning Sasha over to her side of the corridor. “I guess Jack got them spooked too.”

Sasha huffs in a way that could almost be a laugh, one corner of her mouth turning up ever so slightly. “Well, if it means we don’t have to explain ourselves to anymore Hyperion chumps, I’m sold.”

Fiona smiles. “That’s the spirit. Now let’s get to the hangar and… hopefully not get shot.”

They carry on walking, listening for signs of life around every corner, searching for the way to the hangar, and, slightly more indirectly, to the way home.

 

It’s been a bizarrely quiet journey through the bowels of Helios, and, honestly? Fiona’s starting to get worried about how well it’s going. Minus the whole not-having-the-beacon thing. And the Jack thing.

Even with those… admittedly large problems, nothing bad’s personally happened to Fiona or Sasha yet.

Which really makes her feel like it’s _something’s_ cue to start screwing everything up.

Beside her, Gortys is quiet. She hasn’t spoken since the beacon, and it’s the longest Fiona’s heard her be quiet for. It’s actually pretty worrying, and as they reach the entrance to the hangar bay, Fiona squats down next to her and gives her a tentative smile.

“You okay, Gortys?”

Gortys doesn’t speak for a moment, but her eyes turn downcast. When she does speak, her voice is soft, more hesitant than Fiona’s heard it before.

“That lady, and those men… They were going to hurt you if you didn’t get the beacon for them, right?” Fiona nods, and Gortys pauses again, looking over at Sasha. “I don’t want you two to get hurt.”

Fiona glances up at Sasha as well, and they make eye contact for a moment.

“It’ll be fine,” she says, without much confidence. “They’re probably as scared of Handsome Jack as we are.”

Which… doesn’t _necessarily_ mean that they won’t start shooting as soon as Fiona and Sasha step through the door. But it is at least a point in their favour.

Gortys makes a humming sound, but doesn’t reply. That’s probably the best Fiona is going to get, so she stands up again. She meets Sasha’s gaze, but Sasha only nods.

Okay. Time to face Vallory’s goons. And probably some bullets.

The doors open, and they walk in as casually as they can in this situation.

“Hey,” August grunts out, which is probably the friendliest that anyone’s going to be in this conversation. “You got the beacon?” He’s leaning against a crate, far more casual than anyone has the right to be after hearing Handsome Jack over the speakers. At least his two goons are tense, though Fiona suspects that’s just a usual state of being for them.

“Uh… Not exactly.” August straightens up, so she continues before anyone can pull out a gun. “You heard the… announcement, or whatever it was. Rhys got the beacon, told us he was getting into position and then… that happened, before he could get it to us.”

August looks… well, about as understanding as he probably ever looks. Finch and Kroger look at each other, though, and Fiona knows she hasn’t sold it.

Finch steps forward. “How do we know you aren’t just holding out on us, huh?” His hand hovers over the butt of his gun.

Fiona huffs, glaring right at him. “Why would I do that? You’re out-gunning us, out-numbering us,” not including the robots, “and we’re not exactly going anywhere!” She motions to the sealed hangar doors, hoping her point makes itself clear.

Finch seems to contemplate this for a moment, before shaking his head. Whatever he’s thinking, Kroger is thinking the same, and he continues the conversation himself.

“Nah, I know you’re a smart girl, and that you don’t like us very much. Maybe you figure you can get some leverage on us.”

Two clicks. They both draw their guns. August is looking between the four of them like he doesn’t know what to do.

“Well, you’re wrong.”

Fiona hears Gortys cry a “No, stop!” from behind her, and can practically hear Loader Bot working out the chances he can take both Finch and Kroger down before a shot is fired. Fiona already knows the answer to that question - not high.

They both put their fingers on the triggers, and Fiona tenses, ready to dodge.

“Sorry about the interruption, boys and girls. Where was I?“

That voice rings out over the speakers again.

Everyone stills.

Fiona swears she could hear a pin drop in the hangar bay, as the voice laughs. The sound makes her stomach feel like it’s dropped out from beneath her - like she swallowed a mouthful of ice cold water.

He just talks and talks, and still, nobody moves.

His words bleed together, almost incomprehensible, and Fiona makes eye contact with Sasha. Unsurprisingly, Sasha doesn’t have anything to offer either, but it makes Fiona feel a little better.

There’s a loud, high-pitched sound, like the ringing of a bell. She glances over, looking at the guards stationed in front of the door. From what she can glean from their body language, they’re pretty confused. She catches something about a pay rise before Finch takes her distraction as an opportunity to fire a shot.

She dodges behind a barrel, and hears the ricochet of his bullet hit the wall. The guards are still worrying about their pay-rise, and Fiona’s pretty sure that murder’s commonplace around here anyway, so they’ll be no good.

“Hey!” She hears August shout. “If either of you want to deal with something Handsome Jack-related to get this beacon for Vallory, be my guest.” There’s silence, but for the talking in the background, and even that cuts off after a moment.

“Right now, these two are our best chances of getting the beacon, and getting back to Pandora. _Alive_.”

Fiona doesn’t know whether to be grateful or angry. Probably angry, really. Still, she keeps her mouth shut as she stands up with her hands raised, avoiding Finch and Kroger’s gazes. She knows, if she looks weak, or even (she shudders mentally) submissive, she’ll have more of a chance of getting out of this scot-free.

She shoots Sasha a momentary gaze to make sure she gets the message, but keeps her attention focused on the goons in front of her. They’re not holding up their guns any more, at least.

“You’re gonna get us that beacon, girls,” Finch says, after a long moment. “Or, the next time you come in here, we’re going to shoot you dead.”

Fiona resists the urge to roll her eyes. “I got it,” she mutters. “C’mon, Sash’, let’s get moving.”

Sasha looks ready to beat one of the goons up, and Fiona can empathise, but at Fiona’s voice, she nods shortly, and turns, ready to go.

“And the little robot stays with us,” Kroger adds, which Fiona is less at ease with. But, to be fair, if she had to choose between Handsome Jack and a load of thugs, she’d pick the thugs, so she doesn’t bother to protest. Gortys is probably safer there.

The doors slam shut behind them as they leave, and Fiona drops the act to stare at Sasha.

“Well, Fi’,” her sister says, “what do we do now?”

**Author's Note:**

> as always, you can find me at screechfoxes on tumblr.


End file.
